Submitted by Lopez Island Prevention Coalition
Spring has Sprung! And with our extra bit of sunshine comes the opportunity to clean out all the things we no longer need. It’s also a great time of the year to spring clean your medicine cabinet! And dispose of all your expired drugs or medications you no longer use. But please don’t flush them and don’t toss them in the trash! Instead use the “drug disposal box” behind the fire station. Hint: It looks like a big brown mailbox. Simply bag your expired or unwanted drugs and drop it off in the box. OR better yet come visit our Drug Take Back booth, at the Lopez Community Information and Resource Fair, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on May 13, and receive a free gift for all your unneeded/expired medications.
April 30 will mark the 11th year of the National Drug Take Back Program. With the increase rise of heroin and opiate use, now more than ever it is important that we are vigilant in managing our meds. There is a direct connection between the misuse of prescription narcotic drugs and heroin addiction. 70 percent of people who first misused prescription drugs got them from their friends, relatives or simply take them without asking. Over 46,000 Americans die each year from drug- related deaths, with more than half being from heroin and prescript opioids. Although the addiction epidemic is deemed a public health crisis, the “Take Back” is one of four strategies under the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion in the United States. The other three are include education; establishing prescription drug monitoring programs; and increased enforcement.
Some additional things to remember when disposing of your medications:
1. scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label to make it unreadable. This will help protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information.
2. Do not give your medicine to friends. Doctors prescribe medicines based on your specific symptoms and medical history. Something that works for you could be dangerous for someone else.
3. When in doubt about proper disposal, ask your pharmacist.
4. Remember the same disposal methods for prescription drugs could apply to over-the-counter drugs as well.
So as you spring clean your medicine cabinet, please take advantage of the disposal box, or utilize the Take Back Booth at the upcoming enjoy the Community Information and Resource Fair.
